University of Santo Tomas

College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

PANOSO, JASPER BRENT A.

4BIO1
29 APRIL 2020
Final Assessment

Simulation Report

Ecology subfield: Conservation

Topic: Biomagnification

Results and Discussion

Baseline simulation
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a pesticide that is thought to biomagnify in
non-target organisms when ingested. Biomagnification occurs because DDT is
metabolized and excreted much more slowly than the nutrients that are passed from one
trophic level to the next hence, DDT accumulates in the bodies. Thus, most of the DDT
ingested by the organism is retained throughout their lives. Figure 1 shows the interface
of the model and Table 1 shows the function of each controls. In the baseline simulation,
DDT concentration was set to 0.00002 ppm (parts per million). Table 1 shows the mean
concentration and standard deviation of DDT by organism after 1000 “ticks”.
 University of Santo Tomas
College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

Figure 1. Interface of the simulation

Controls Function
Reset Resets the model to the set parameters
Go Starts the model
Means Shows the rolling average of DDT level
by species
Clear means Clears the rolling average
DDT Contamination Slider that adjusts the level of
contamination
Table 1. Controls and function present in the model.
 University of Santo Tomas
College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

Organism Mean Concentration (ppm) Standard Deviation

Phytoplankton 0.0048165 0.000876
Zooplankton 0.1380319 0.0607823
Smelt 0.7231949 0.4038
Salmon 1.8527719 1.056
Pelican 10.51593265 9.781
Table 2. Mean concentration and standard deviation for each organism at 1000 ticks.

After 1000 ticks, results show that the pelican has the highest mean concentration of
DDT while phytoplankton has the lowest. Figure 2 shows the accumulation of DDT over
time among organisms. To provide variability, whenever an organism is eaten, it is
replaced by a new young individual whose DDT concentration starts at zero hence, a rise
and fall trend can be observed.

Figure 2. Graphical representation of the accumulation of DDT for each organism at

1000 ticks. X-axis represents the number of “ticks” while y-axis represents the mean
concentration of DDT.
 University of Santo Tomas
College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

Modified simulation
In this simulation, DDT contamination was reduced from 0.0002 to 0 ppm after 1000
ticks to observe the effects of DDT cleanup. The simulation continued running until all
mean concentrations of DDT in each organism are lower than the current concentration.
Only after reaching 6500 ticks that all DDT concentration for each organism are lower
than their concentration at 1000 ticks. (Figure 3)

Figure 3. Interface of the model at 6500 ticks

 University of Santo Tomas
College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

Organism Mean Concentration (ppm) Standard Deviation

Phytoplankton 0.0000003 0.0000001
Zooplankton 0.0024079 0.0015096
Smelt 0.0929708 0.0469
Salmon 1.0910159 0.578
Pelican 9.4213991 3.732
Table 3. Mean concentration and standard deviation for each organism at 6500 ticks.

Figure 4 shows a graphical representation of the decrease in accumulation of DDT

concentration in each organism. It can be inferred that the pelicans took the longest time
before observing a steady decrease in concentration and ultimately, lower than the
baseline simulation. Even after decreasing the DDT concentration to 0, DDT
concentration continued to rise in higher organisms. (Figure 3)

Figure 4. Graphical representation of the accumulation of DDT for each organism at

6500 ticks. X-axis represents the number of “ticks” while y-axis represents the mean
concentration of DDT.
 University of Santo Tomas
College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

Conclusion
The simulations showed that pelicans accumulate the most concentration of DDT
compared to other organisms. These results are consistent with the biomagnification
principle. Organisms that are at the top of the food chain accumulate the greatest number
of toxins making them the most vulnerable to harmful effects of toxins such as DDT.
Even after the “simulated DDT cleanup”, the DDT concentration in pelicans kept
increasing and it took a while before it observed a steady decline in concentration. This
also accurately reflects a cleanup situation if it ever happens in real life. Because of
biomagnification, it would take a long time to decrease contamination in an ecosystem.

Journal Review

Ecology subfield: Conservation

Topic: Biomagnification

Complete journal citation (APA):

Lu, G., Zhou, R., Li, S., Dang, T., & Liu, J. (2018). Bioaccumulation and
Biomagnification of 2-Ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate in Aquatic Animals.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(11),
2395. doi:10.3390/ijerph15112395
Methodology

Ecosystem: Aquatic (Qinhuai River, Jinchuan River, Xuanwu Lake and Yueya Lake
Nanjing, China)

Organism: Chironomus riparius and Carassius carassius

 University of Santo Tomas
College of Science
Department of Biological Sciences

Sampling/Monitoring Equipment:

• EHDAB quantitation
• Sediment and tissue samples were extracted by means of pressurized liquid
extraction
• EHDAB concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography coupled
with tandem mass spectrometry
• Separation was performed on an Eclipse Plus C18 (2.1 × 30 mm, 1.7 µm) column.
Detection was performed with a positive ion electrospray ionization source

Data Analysis:

• Comparison of experimental groups Chironomus riparius varying concentrations

of EHDAB with sediments.
• Chironomus riparius larvae that were exposed to EHDAB were fed to Carassius
carassius. EHDAB concentration in the tissues of Carassius carassius were
analyzed.
• All data were tested for a normal distribution by the Shapiro-Wilk’s test and the
homogeneity of variances by Levene’s test. Data from different treatments were
analyzed by multifactor ANOVA followed by Duncan test.